The first leg of the event was yesterday. Auction was held today, with the return swim set for tomorrow.
The Assateague ponies are split into two herds, one on the Maryland side of the state line and the other on the Virginia side. The following video by WJZ News in Baltimore covers the Virginia herd, sometimes referred to as the Chincoteague ponies.
How can a herd of 150 animals produce 70 foals annually? That’s a 50% growth rate, well above the rate seen on public lands in the western U.S. Sex ratio skewing?